Child s hoop



I. w. ANDRUS.

GHILDS HOOP.

tented June 18, 1895.

U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERNANDO W. ANDRUS, OF WVATERTOWN,l/IASSAOHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALFTO FRANCIS O. BATES, OF NEWPORT, VERMONT.

CHILDS HOOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,413, dated June 18,1895. I

Application filed November 14, 1894- Serial No, 528,742. (No model.)

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, FERNANDO W. ANDRUS, of Watertown, county ofMiddlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inChildrens Hoops,of which the following description, in connection withthe accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and numeralson the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to improve the construction of toysordinarily known as childrens hoops, and the invention consists in ahoop having a small disk or plate supported within it by cords, wires,or equivalent means, said disk or plate being dished or concaved, andastrin g, cord or rope, or equivalent fiexible connection, looselyconnected to the center of said concaved disk or plate at the bottom ofthe concavity, the point of attachment or connection of the rope beingthe axis upon which the hoop revolves, and by reason of the concavityformed in the central disk or plate such point of attachment is locateda short distance to one side of the frame of the hoop, opposite theoperator.

The child taking hold of the rope and starting the hoop rolling, canthereafter continue to cause the hoop to revolve as well as guide it byslightly pulling and manipulating the rope, running along beside thehoop as it revolves in substantially the same way as now commonly donewhen the hoop is revolved by repeatedly striking or otherwise operatingupon it with a stick.

Figure 1 shows in perspective a childs hoop embodying this invention;Fig. 2, a vertical section of the central disk or plate, and Fig. 3 afront view of a hoop with a modified form of disk or plate.

The circular hoop a, of Wood or other material has supported centrallywithin it a disk or plate b which may be made of any desired shape andconcaved or dished as represented in Fig. 2. This disk or plate may bemade of tin, and provided with holes 2, through which pass cords 3,which are connected with the hoop.

The cords 3 serve as spokes or supports for the central disk or plate I)and may be tightened by suitable adjustable clips 4.

The disk or plate in addition to being concaved or dished may beprovided on its periph ery with a series of flukes or curved projections1), although so far as my invention is v concerned said centraldisk orplate need not be provided with said flukes.

A cord, rope,or equivalent flexible connection 0, is loosely connectedto the center of said disk or plateb in any suitable way so that thedisk or plate may revolve with the hoop without twisting the rope c, andsaid rope may be made of any desirable length and provided at the endwith a hand piece 0'.

The child taking hold of the hand piece with one hand starts the hooprolling with the 6 other, and then by running alongsideof the hoop andslightly pulling upon the rope the hoop continues to revolve.

. By manipulating the rope as by pulling it slightly in difierent waysor directions the hoop may be guided along its course.

- In order that the hoop may roll for a long time, oras longasdesired,itshouldleanalittle away from the operator, instead of occupyinga truly vertical position, as this enables the cord to be heldsufficiently taut to guide and roll along the hoop, and it for anyreason the hoop should be brought up into truly vertical position, orshould lean ever so little toward the operator, it soon falls.

I have found in practice that if the central plate is made flat, that itis very diflicult to keep the hoop leaning away from the operator, andhence it will roll but a very short time, whereas by concaving the diskor plate, the point of attachment of the cord is located at one side ofthe plane of the hoop, opposite the operator, and as the hoop leans awayfrom the operator, the point of attachment of the cord is still verynear a vertical line extending to the top of the hoop, and the tendencyto draw the top of the hoop toward the operator is very materiallydiminished, as compared with a flat central plate. I

As an illustration it may be said that by 5 starting the hoop rollingthe child may stand upon a certain spot and by simply turning around orpassing the cord behind cause the hoop to describe a circle.

I am aware that toy hoops have heretofore Ioo been made wherein thecentral hub or plate is engaged by a rigid hand piece,but my inventionis limited to the employment of a flexible connection which is looselyattached to the center of a concaved plate supported centrally withinthe hoop, and which by being pulled and otherwise manipulated mayrevolve and guide the hoop along its course.

I claim- 1. The toy hoop (1, having a concaved disk or plate I),supported centrally within it, and the flexible connection a looselyattached to the center of said disk or plate, at the bottom of theconcavity, and adapted to be pulled and manipulated to revolve and guidethe hoop along its course. A

2. The toy hoop a having a concaved disk or plate I), supportedcentrally within it, pro

vided with radially projecting oblique flukes b, and the flexibleconnection 0 loosely at- V tached to the center of said disk or plate,at the bottom of the concavity, and adapted to be pulled and manipulatedto revolve and guide the hoop along its course, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of 2

